During the early hours of Sunday 9 September, a serious fire destroyed the Line 3 office block/cribroom at NZAS. Thankfully no-one was injured.
In addition to the Tiwai Fire Brigade, six other fire crews from Invercargill and Bluff fought the blaze. Access to the fire ground proved difficult due to the building being located between the Potlines.
NZAS General Manager, Stew Hamilton, was very appreciative of the efforts from the smelter team and emergency services. “My sincere thanks to everyone who helped out during this emergency, particularly the prompt and professional response from the Tiwai Fire Brigade and Fire & Emergency NZ. The fire crews did a great job containing the fire to the office block only.”
“I would also like to acknowledge the many employees who came in on their rostered days off to assist and everyone who has been helping since. People across multiple Reduction Line crews and other teams on site went above and beyond to support this work. This is a shining example of the NZAS team pulling together and taking Tiwai pride in our operation. We have managed to recover without cause of injury and without losing a cell which is an outstanding achievement,” he said.
Fire investigators have been on site to determine the cause. The full investigation report will be released when available.